There's a lot going on in this thread, I will try to address as many parts of it as I can.

TSA policy is that large electronics need to come out of the bag. Game Consoles are generally considered to be large enough to be removed. Phones generally aren't large enough.

The TSO arguing with the X-Ray operator made several mistakes besides his confusion about whether Wii game consoles had to be removed. Most importantly the X-Ray operator is the authority and his/her decisions shouldn't be disputed. Image interpretation is difficult, and items need to be loaded into the X-Ray in the way that is most conducive to the operator detecting threats. And TSOs shouldn't argue about SOP in front at the checkpoint, it is unprofessional/


TSA has done a poor job of maintaining a consistent position about how items need to be loaded into the X-Ray. There is no national position about which items need to be loaded in bins or not. We get a lot of security guidance, however this is an area that directly impacts the customer's experience. At some airports, shoes aren't allowed to be run in bins in one lane and they are required to be run in a bin on the other. And at a third lane, no one cares. Since there is no guidance on this issue, individual TSOs make up rules as they go and it contributes to passenger confusion/anger.

Personally I agree that shoes belong on the belt and not in bins. I also don't think that many of the items that passengers try to run in bins (backpacks, etc) belong in bins.

Finally,

Matb2005 writes he received a definitive answer from training. This is a personal pet peeve of mine. Training can't give a definitive answer because they are not in charge of SOP adherence. They like to think they are. But SOP interpretation is an area in which Operations has authority and not the Training department. This question should have been directed to a manager who (if there was a dispute) have asked the AFSD-S. This sounds as if you asked someone and they gave you their opinion. Although I believe they gave you the right answer, just because the question came from Training doesn't make it any more right than if it had come from someone else. A definitive answer comes through the chain of command not from outside Operations.


Angry Dan